Photo: droughtonitor.unl.edu
GovSlaves
Water is one of our most precious and neglected natural resources. Without an abundant water supply life as we know would not exist. Everyday we take for granted the fact that we turn on the faucet and an unlimited supply of blue gold is delivered to our door step.
Unfortunately that day may soon come to an end as the water supply in many U.S. cities are dangerously low due to extreme drought. I can only imagine the future where water restrictions will dwarf the regulations you see today.
Below are 9 examples of different cities that are running dangerously low on water, hopefully you don’t call one of these cities home.
9. Santa Fe, N.M.
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 76.7%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 16.7%
> Population: 89,284
The entirety of the Santa Fe area has been in a state of exceptional drought — the worst possible type — for the past five weeks. Already, the area has been consistently under extreme drought — the second-worst level — since mid-February. The drought in much of the state contributed to the rapid spreading of the Tres Lagunas fire which burned 16 square miles of land — the equivalent of close to a third of the size of the Santa Fe urban area — near the city earlier this summer. However, according to the NOAA, drought conditions in much of the state are expected to improve through the end of the summer and into the fall.
8. Albuquerque, N.M.
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 76.7%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 43.3%
> Population: 741,318
The majority of the state of New Mexico is in a state of extreme drought. The state’s largest city, Albuquerque, has been completely under the worst possible level of drought since the end of April. This is the city’s second major drought in the last three years — it was under extreme drought for most of 2011. Much-needed heavy storms hit the area last week, but experts caution this is likely not enough to help the parched land fully recover. National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Jones told the Associated Press, “It’s making a little dent in places … but [the drought] is something that developed over several years … and it will take several years for the state to recover, assuming we get normal or above normal monsoons.”Jones also noted that Albuquerque was roughly a year behind its average three-year rainfall.
7. Corpus Christi, Texas
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 79.1%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 14.1%
> Population: 320,069
Nearly all of Corpus Christi has been in a state of extreme drought since early March. As a result, the city enacted restrictions on the use of water in late June. Among the mandatory restrictions are a ban on the residential use of sprinklers and car washing more than once a week, as well as the restriction of washing sidewalks and homes, unless expressly done for business or public-health purposes. In the city of Kenedy, about halfway between Corpus Christi and San Antonio, water shortage and well failures led to the city diverting water from the local prison. This left inmates unable to shower for a week.
6. Brownsville, Texas
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 81.1%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 10.1%
> Population: 217,585
Since 2011, there has been a total of two weeks in which Brownsville, Texas, was not in at least a state of low-level drought. There have been extreme drought conditions for past the 23 straight weeks. According to The Brownsville Herald, as of early July, the last substantial rain in the area was April 28. The city announced a voluntary water restriction in April, asking residents to avoid non-essential use, particularly for lawn irrigation. Brownsville is the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas, which has had an ongoing dispute with Mexico for the country’s failure to deliver water to the valley as agreed in a 1944 treaty.
5. Harlingen, Texas
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 83.6%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 11.5%
> Population: 135,663
The entirety of the Harlingen urban area has been in a state extreme drought since early March. In fact, more than 56% of the area on average has been under extreme drought since the start of 2011. Many farmers have found that they are unable to grow cotton and corn due to the drought, or raise livestock because of the rising cost of animal feed. The area’s drought is expected to persist through the fall, according to the NOAA.
4. Colorado Springs, Colo.
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 89.2%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 4.7%
> Population: 559,409
For roughly a year straight, at least some part of the Colorado Springs urban area has been in a state of extreme drought. The city’s water capacity was just 57% as of July 21, a time of year when it is normally nearly 85%. Colorado Springs Utilities spokesperson Patrice Lehermeier noted, “We don’t want to say it’s becoming the norm, but dry conditions in Colorado is something we’re going to be facing, especially in Colorado Springs, for a long time,” As a local news station quoted. The NOAA projects that most of Colorado, including the Colorado Springs area, will be in a state or continued or worsening drought at least through the fall. Heavy rains in southern Colorado last week have eased some of the residents’ worries, but officials have cautioned that the region is by no means out of the woods.
3. McAllen, Texas
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 100%
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 56.5%
> Population: 728,825
Like much of the southern part of Texas bordering Mexico — known as the Rio Grande Valley — McAllen has been in a state of severe, prolonged water shortage. Excepting a four-week period in late May/early June, at least some part of the area has been in a state of severe drought for 127 straight weeks. Portions of the area have been affected by the worst possible level of drought since September, 2012. The NOAA projects that drought conditions in the area will persist or intensify at least through October. In April, the city implemented phase 2 of its drought contingency plan. The plan includes mandatory water conservation, which limits the washing of vehicles, irrigation of lawns, and the refilling of swimming pools.
2. Pueblo, Colo.
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 71.2%
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 100%
> Population: 136,550
Arguably, no large urban area has faced worse drought than Pueblo this year. The entire area has been in a state of at least the second-worst possible drought level from the start of the year through the third week of July. On average, more than 70% of the Pueblo was affected by exceptional drought, higher than any other area with a population of 75,000 or more. According to KOAA, Pueblo had received just 3.77 inches of rainfall through July 22, nearly half of the 7.15 inches on average it normally receives by that date. The NOAA expects drought to remain a problem in the Pueblo area through the fall.
1. Lubbock, Texas
> Exceptional drought coverage (2013): 62.8%
> Extreme drought coverage (2013): 100%
> Population: 237,356
Nearly half of the Lubbock area on average has been in a state of exceptional drought since 2011, worse than anywhere else in the nation with a population of more than 75,000. During that time, more than three quarters of the area was under exceptional drought in an average week, also worse than anywhere else in the nation. In April, to encourage water conservation, the city of Lubbock changed its water rate structure to penalize heavier users. Nothing illustrates the area’s water problems better than White River Lake, which is located 70 miles south of Lubbock. The lake may be just a few weeks away from being unable to deliver water to 10,000 residents, according to The Associated Press.
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